8.31.2011

Petting ants...

We're still very much in the middle of this project, but here's an 'after-ish' image of the back of the house. I finished painting the screened door (the same color as the two back doors- Forest Canopy by Valspar), but I haven't put it back on yet. Take a look at that resurfaced chimney. Hotness. The flower beds still look bad, but not as bad as the rotten wood. Here's what's making me insane: the whole damn patio is crooked and that trellis thing on the left is screwed in, making it impossible to take down without leaving two gaping holes. It simply cannot be a priority this year, so I have to just let it go. Here's a photo where it looks really junky. The only lawn ornament-like thing that stayed was a bird feeder from a favorite pottery studio on Cape Cod called Scargo.

I think my top after-ish image actually looks worse than the photo I posted the other day, but all of those bushes were covering up serious problem areas. With PRH teaching again, we were anticipating projects slowing down, but I'm freakishly determined to prove to myself that things can still get done around here while he's at work. We've done really well the last two days. It's obviously hard to get things done with a 2-year-old and 4-year-old under foot, but I'd rather our kids see a mama who's capable and active than the one I feel like being most days...in pajamas, reading books, and drinking coffee all day. I've found that safely getting them involved is the best way to make it happen. I moved rocks, they looked at ants (Kicky actually "pet" several ants until she realized they weren't recovering from her petting). I removed two old doghouses, they picked up sticks in the yard. I refinished a door, they watched Emmet Otter...you can't win them all, right?

11 comments:

Yes, letting the kids "help" is the only way to get anything done. One way to keep them occupied while you paint, is to give them water and brushes and let them go nuts on the sidewalk or patio. It will probably work better for the two-year-old, but even my four-year-old "falls" for it sometimes.

We're also renovating our house, a small shotgun that was only supposed to take six months. Six years and a baby later, we're trying to finish it up so we can sell. There are so many projects and yet here I sit, drinking coffee. I love your blog, but I must remind myself that reading about renovation is not the same thing as doing it!

Totally with you on this! I had my daughter shoveling rocks the other day (which, oddly, she loved) while I worked on trenching. It's good for kids to see a capable mom and even better for them to "help" :)